By Jim Fenton
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University baseball team took the first step in its quest to win another Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament championship.
The top-seeded Bears held off fifth-seeded Salem State University, 5-4, in their tourney opener Thursday afternoon at Alumni Park.
BSU, which has won three straight MASCAC tournaments, built an early 5-0 lead and did not score again after the second inning.
The Bears (27-12), who have won 10 straight conference tourney games, will be back at Alumni Park to play a winner's bracket game on Friday at 10 a.m.
They will face second-seeded Massachusetts Maritime Academy (23-17) with the winner advancing to Saturday afternoon's championship round.
Salem State (18-17) travels to Buzzards Bay, Mass. Friday at 10 a.m. for an elimination game against #6 Framingham State (14-27).
BSU advanced despite being outhit by the Vikings, 10-6.
The Bears managed just two hits after the second inning against sophomore reliever Matt Walling (Plantsville, Conn.), who took over in the first inning when starter Aidan Carabello (Wallingford, Conn.) left with an injury after three batters.
"We kind of went cold after the second inning," said BSU coach Greg Zackrison. "It was because we were trying to hit home runs when the kid wasn't throwing very hard. We were out in front and hit lazy flyballs."
Salem State, meanwhile, had 10 hits after winning the play-in game earlier in the day, 13-8, over fourth-seeded Worcester State at Alumni Park.
"They had some good swings in their first game today and it kind of carried through into game two,'' said Zackrison. "They're swinging it pretty good.''
BSU moved to a quick 3-0 lead in the first inning as senior Scott Emerson (Peabody, Mass.) led with a walk, went to third on a double by senior Kevin Lindsay (East Bridgewater, Mass.) and scored after walks to senior Brendan Flaven (Taunton, Mass.) and junior Joshua Selander (Granby, Conn.).
Junior Ryan Flaherty (Duxbury, Mass.) then singled through the left side for two runs. Flaherty has 57 RBI, two shy of the BSU season record set by Jeremy Winters in 2003.
The Bears went up, 5-0, in the second as freshman Jamie Luna (Warwick, R.I.) singled, stole second and came home on a single up the middle by Emerson. He then stole second, went to third on a flyout and scored on a Flaven sacrifice fly.
That was all the run production for the Bears. They were able to get just a leadoff double in the fifth by Lindsay and a single by junior Riley Thornell (Wareham, Mass.) in the sixth.
Walling set the side down in order in the third, fourth, seventh and eighth.
BSU winning pitcher Trey Yesu (Monson, Mass.) improved to 5-3, giving up three runs and eight hits with three strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.
"He got us through six and did a good job," said Zackrison.
Salem State made it 5-2 in the third when junior Owen Duggan (Billerica, Mass.) hit a two-out, two-run homer to right.
Yesu gave up a run in the fourth on an RBI double to left by sophomore Nolan Currier (Maynard, Mass.).
Senior Cameron Breault (Buzzards Bay, Mass.) allowed a run and two hits in 1 2/3 innings of relief.
Salem State made it 5-4 in the eighth when Duggan, who had singled and went to third on a single by freshman Michael Buccaro (Guilford, Conn.), scored on a fielder's choice.
Freshman Chase Beach (Orleans, Mass.) retired Salem State in order in the ninth with two strikeouts for his first career save.
"Chase is going to be a good one,'' said Zackrison.
Lindsay was 2-for-4 with two doubles to lead the Bears while Emerson, Flaherty, Thornell and Luna had singles.
Duggan went 3-for-4 for Salem State.
The tourney schedule was revised due to the forecast of rain on Friday.
After the two morning games Friday at BSU and Mass. Maritime, an elimination game will be played on Saturday at noon followed by the championship round at 3 p.m. An if necessary game would take place Sunday afternoon.